SNC has been conducting “free flight” tests with Dream Chaser above the California desert near Edwards Air Force Base. Essentially a helicopter lifts the spacecraft and then releases it sending it flying above the desert and then landing similarly to an airplane on a runway.

Watch the video below to see what that looks like. Hint: It might remind some of the space shuttle program

Dream Chaser can carry more than 12,000 pounds of supplies and science experiments to the International Space Station. The spacecraft will stay attached to the ISS for a time then return to Earth, landing at Kennedy Space Center on the old shuttle landing runway.

“We can’t wait to see the vehicle return to Kennedy Space Center to a runway landing, allowing immediate access to the science payloads being returned from the station,” SNC space systems Executive Vice President Mark Sirangelo said.

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Solidifying Comodo's leadership in the cybersecurity sector, the company saw a 467 percent increase in its number of protected endpoints in 2017 alone.

Now in its 21st year, SC Awards is recognized as the industry gold standard of accomplishment for cybersecurity professionals, products and services. With the awards, SC Media recognizes the achievements of cybersecurity professionals in the field, the innovations happening in the vendor and service provider communities, and the vigilant work of government, commercial and nonprofit entities. Vendors and service providers who offer a product and/or service for the commercial, government, educational, nonprofit or other industries are eligible for the SC Awards' Trust Award category.

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About ComodoComodo is transforming cybersecurity with protection for endpoints, networks and web servers that is proven to be effective against the most advanced malware threats, including even new and unknown threats. The company's innovative 'default deny' technology provides a trust verdict for every file, so that only safe files can run, without impacting user productivity or computer resources. With its global headquarters in Clifton, New Jersey, Comodo also has international offices in China, India, the Philippines, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit comodo.com or our blog. You can also follow us on Twitter (@ComodoNews) or LinkedIn.

What is the history of Virtual Reality? How has it been since the beginning of the developed?VR is not a new concept. In the early 1900s, elements of virtual reality started to appear. The View Master was introduced in 1939 and Sensorama’s prototype was developed in 1962. In the 1990s, the US Air Force created a full upper-body exoskeleton enabling a physically realistic virtual reality in 3D. Then Sega, Virtuality, and Nintendo introduced VR products. During the same years, the first cubic immersive room, The Cave, was developed. In 2001 SAS Cube became the first PC based cubic room. By 2007, Google introduced Street View, a service that shows panoramic views of roads, indoor buildings, and rural areas. In 2010, Palmer Luckey designed the first prototype of the Oculus Rift. Later in 2014, Facebook purchased Oculus VR for $2.4 billion. Then Sony, HTC, Google and Samsung started the VR headset wars.

How did you decide to set up VR Master? Are you talking about the application areas?I first tried the Oculus Rift in 2014 during the CES in Vegas. As soon as I experienced the fully immersive VR world, I knew that a new story telling revolution was about to take place and started researching the technology. The following year, I founded VR Masters in the US.

The first implementations took place in marketing with the 360 videos as they were easier to produce. Hotels, universities, construction and real estate companies and car manufacturers were the early adopters of this technology to promote and market their products and services. Then 360 live streaming opened the way for the entertainment industry as they started to stream concerts and events. Then, we saw education and corporate training industry started to use AR & VR technologies to train and educate their students/team members.

Can you explain with examples how companies are making use of sales-marketing activities in practice?A good example is the 360 coverage of the social responsibility project of OPET company in Turkey. They started “Respect for History” project in the Gallipoli Peninsula in 2006 and they renovated the historical places there. Our 360 video production team traveled to the peninsula to create 360 videos of these historical places. OPET shared these videos to successfully create publicity throughout Turkey.

How is the interest and curiosity to VR technology in Turkey and in the US, what kind of sector is expected in the future?There is a great interest in the VR/AR technologies, however there is a need for compelling content globally. As the AR/VR content providers grow in number, the market will also grow exponentially. International Data Corporation (IDC) forecasts worldwide revenues for AR/VR market to reach $13.9 billion in 2017, an increase of 130.5% over the $6.1 billion spent in 2016. AR/VR spending is expected to accelerate over the next several years, achieving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 198.0% over the 2015-2020 forecast period and totaling $143.3 billion in 2020.

How much does the development of technology contribute to the development of sub-technologies, can it be a dominant sector?While VR will undoubtedly be a large industry, it is estimated that Augmented Reality (AR) will outgrow the VR market. Microsoft is the leading company in the Augmented/Mixed reality market with its AR Headset, Hololens. This is a wearable computer with a CPU, GPU and an HPU (Holographic Processing Unit) which can create holograms on top of the real world. Apple’s purchase of Metaio was a good sign to show the world that Apple will also be a player in the AR world. The company also announced its ARKit during its most recent WWDC 2017 meeting. Facebook's announcement of its AR Studio made it clear that AR platform wars have just begun.

]]>cemil@turkofamerica.com (Admin TOA)TechnologyFri, 12 Jan 2018 21:47:23 +0000Soliya Brings the World Together in a Classhttp://turkofamerica.com/index.php/science/technology/item/4685-soliya-brings-the-world-together-in-a-class
http://turkofamerica.com/index.php/science/technology/item/4685-soliya-brings-the-world-together-in-a-class

Students from Jerusalem,…

Having been found in 2003 as a firm in technology field operating with a social mission, Soliya offers college students an alternative in this regard. Driving its mission with the view that the main reason of the conflicts and disagreements in the world is a lack of understanding between the members of different cultures, Soliya brings together college students at an online classroom created with the special program. Students get the chance to talk about various topics and find out what the other side thinks. And, they do this regularly as a lesson for a whole semester.

With this online student exchange platform named as ‘Connect Program’, Soliya brings together 8450 students with 78 different nationalities from 159 universities of 30 countries across the world. Universities from 26 states of USA are also participating to the program.

Soliya’s first pilot program was run in 2004 with the participation of 19 students from Harvard University, Clark University, Virginia Common Wealth University and American University of Beirut. In 2005, other universities, including Carnegie Melon, Tufts University, University of Maine, University of Iowa, Centre College of Kentucky, American University of Caior, and Qatar University also joined the program.

Although students from Turkey’s Sabancı, Ankara, Boğaziçi, and Koç universities had participated during the early years of the program, their participation has significantly dropped in recent years.

Supported by prominent US non-profit organizations, such as Bezos Family Foundation founded by Lucas Welch and Liza Chambers, Carnegie Corporation of New York and Arthur B. Schultz Foundation, Soliya also has a Turkish executive. Holding a high level position at Soliya, Ayça Arıyörük, works as the director responsible for international corporate relations. Saying, ‘It is one of our primary goals to have the program included in the curricula of universities in Turkey’, Arıyörük adds: “We are very happy to be working with students of İstanbul Şehir University. Next year, we hope to see students from universities from all parts of Turkey. We have scholarship opportunities; we want them to take advantage of them. We also invite private and multi-national firms in sectors of technology and innovations to become sponsors”.

One of the missions of Soliya is to train the youth for the 21st century by providing them with an educational platform that combines social and emotional intelligence and technology and focuses on skills and attitutudes.

Reminding that the program has already been included in curricula of higher education institutions in Europe and America, Arıyörük says: “It is also mandatory for youth in Turkey to get prepared for the new and modern life with confidence. Some sort of a war between robots and human resources has already started in the west. Artificial intelligence is taking away job opportunities from people and causing unemployment. However, what are the things that robots can never be successful at like humans? We focus on those skills and attitudes. Also, our times are the times of ‘hyper connectivity’. We are constantly connected with others but connection by itself does not ensure communication”.

Adding that ‘technology and diversity of views are a source of power’, Arıyörük adds: “Our platform uses these sources to create a basis for collaboration that would allow inter-cultural agreements and new inventions.”

Ariyörük came to USA in 1996 to obtain education. Having completed her graduate studies in fields of international relations and diplomacy, Arıyörük is also known for her reasearch on ‘UN reform’ and her interviews with world leaders and analysis published on this topic.

Which schools did you study? How did the American adventure begin?I studied high school at Istanbul, Turkey in Hisar Schools and University at Boston, Massachusetts in Emerson College and graduated with a major of Marketing & Marketing Communications and a minor of Photography. I decided to come to US because I thought I would have a wider vision if I lived in the US. How do help to your clients? What do you do? I’m working in a company in New York called Qnary. We empower the voice of professionals and brands in social media. We provide effective social media & executive thought leadership PR.

What exactly is your job?I’m working as the Growth & Optimization analyst here. I create strategies on how to grow our clients’ social media platforms and implement them throughout our journey with them. Also, I enjoy networking to assist with business development and managing clients.

What kind of customers are you serving?We work with C-level executives, medium, small business owners and brands who don’t have time to manage their social media, want professional help and most importantly want to be active.

What are the key points of increasing the number of followers?In order to grow your followers, you need to understand other users’ behaviors very well. Actually, there are no magic bullets to grow followers but there are some basic things you can do to build effectively. Let me give a brief explanation; Share up to date posts, Be active, Engage with people who matter to you (Follow, like, comment, etc.), Use relevant Hashtag’s.But the most importantly, have fun with what you are doing on social media!

What is your recommendation to your ordinary social media users?Being active in social media is really fun! You connect with people who are interested in your business or interested in your thoughts. My advice for users would be to know what you want to accomplish and who you want to connect with on social media. Most importantly to have fun with it!

How to use social media without addict?These days’ social media are a part of our daily lives. Social media is a tool which makes our lives easier. If you don’t have time to prepare a professional, engaging social media account, call Qnary and we would be happy to help!

The agreements are expected to be signed and necessary payments made before Feb. 20, the statement said, adding that the U.S. State Department has already approved the sale. Nigeria has been seeking permission from the U.S. government to buy A-29s since 2015; however, the Obama administration had put the sale on hold due to concerns about the country’s human rights record.

In February, U.S. President Donald Trump signaled his support for the sale during a phone call with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. In April, the deal seemed to have moved forward.

“These aircraft offer improved targeting capabilities, allowing Nigeria to more effectively lead the fight against Boko Haram and the ISIS West Africa branch, while also potentially reducing risks of collateral damage and civilian casualties,” said US government official.

A U.S. government official, who was not authorized to speak on the record, called the A-29 sale just one element of the United States’ efforts to fight terrorism and protect civilians in Nigeria and other areas in West Africa.

Besides the 12 aircraft, the weapons package also includes training, munitions, related equipment and maintenance support. Per Second News gathered that the A-29 Super Tucano was designed for counterinsurgency and close-air support missions, and the aircraft has been purchased through the U.S. government for the Afghan and Lebanese militaries to fight against ISIS and other militant groups. The aircraft, built by Brazilian aerospace firm Embraer, is modified by Sierra Nevada Corporation, which acts as prime contractor and systems integrator for sales to the U.S. government. (Source: Per Second News)

The first orbital vehicle is scheduled to go to the International Space Station as soon as 2020 for at least six missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract (CRS2). The missions will supply astronauts with much needed supplies and technical support elements and enable the gentle return of scientific experiments. The test vehicle was originally developed under the Commercial Crew Integrated Capabilities agreement (CCiCap). The test verified and validated the performance of the Dream Chaser spacecraft in the final approach and landing phase of flight, modeling a successful return from the space station.

SNC and NASA will evaluate information from the test, including the Dream Chaser aerodynamic and integrated system performance from 12,400 feet altitude through main landing gear touchdown, nose landing gear touchdown and final rollout to wheel-stop on the runway.

The Dream Chaser is based largely on a lifting body design developed by two universities in North Carolina: NASA’s HL-20 Personnel Launch System. The HL-20 began development in the late 1980s to provide an additional, lower cost crew transportation vehicle to the space shuttle. The HL-20 team began by creating a mold from large polystyrene foam blocks, then applying carbon fiber and fiberglass. The HL-20 program was canceled in 1993 but resurrected 10 years ago by the Sierra Nevada. In 2014, Lockheed Martin unveiled the new Dream Chaser orbital spacecraft composite airframe.

Combined with technology mastered at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works®, the SNC/Lockheed team is able to leverage its extensive experience in the areas of composites and advanced manufacturing to ensure the Dream Chaser orbital structure is fabricated, built and assembled using best practices. In addition, Lockheed Martin is applying advanced 3-D preform technology for joint assembly, thereby reducing overall part and tooling count while improving assembly and integration time. Through these improved processes, SNC and Lockheed Martin are able to improve the overall durability, weight efficiency and affordability of the spacecraft. (Evan Milberg / http://compositesmanufacturingmagazine.com)

It came days after a consortium of five Turkish businesses, including mobile phone operator Turkcell, launched a joint venture to design and produce a Turkish-made car. The joint venture was launched under Erdogan's urging.

Kalin said Musk would be present during a ceremony for the signing of a satellite agreement with Airbus on Thursday, adding that his SpaceX company was a subcontractor in the deal.

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